86 MACWORLD JANUARY 2022
PLAYLIST REVIEW: BEATS FIT PROshould buy these instead. In fact, those
considering the 3rd-gen AirPods (fave.
co/3IrSfNP) might even want to spend a
little more for these.
ANYTHING YOU CAN DO...
Apple purchased Beats back in 2014 (fave.
co/3GpGlST), and within a few years it was
making Beats headphones that use its
own W1 and later H1 headphone chips,
allowing them to work just like AirPods.
The Beats Fit Pro are the latest in that
line. They mimic the features of the
AirPods Pro—instant pairing and quick
switching to other Apple products, hands-
free “Hey Siri,” Find My integration, active
noise cancellation with an excellent
Transparency mode, and Spatial Audio
with head tracking.
If you use an iPhone, iPad, or Mac,
these essentially are AirPods Pro, from a
features perspective. If the AirPods Pro do
it, so do the Beats Fit Pro. They’re IPX4
water and sweat resistant like the AirPods
Pro, so good enough for rain and splashes
but not meant to be submerged.
There’s one notable exception, and
that’s wireless charging. The AirPods Pro’s
charging case has it (along with MagSafe),
but the Beats Fit Pro do not. That’s it; that’s
the only thing missing. And it’s not a
deal-breaker in the slightest...I CAN DO BETTER
It’s all the ways the Fit Pro are better than
the AirPods Pro that make them
interesting, though.
For starters, they simply fit a lot better.
The shape better
conforms to one’s ear,
and like the AirPods Pro
they come with three
sizes of rubber eartips to
create a seal in your ear
canal. Instead of stems,
the Fit Pro have
integrated wingtips that
go up and under one of
your ear’s folds.
Wingtips are nothing
new in the sports
earbuds market, and it’s
a bold move of Beats toBeats Fit Pro are more comfortable and stay in your ears better
than AirPods Pro. And Beats Fit Pro come in several colors.